In an amazing coincidence I acquired
the members of my Chinese scooter fleet at about this time of year.
Both of the scooters were brought into the fold at the end of July
while the 50cc mini-motorcycle was purchased in August. This is my
chance to make my State of the Fleet Address.

I see on the odometer that my Big
Scooter is now at 11,872 miles. It has become my main ride for
commutes and trips to the doctor in Johnson City. It is still giving
me in the neighborhood of 70 mpg and just keeps ticking. Over time I
did the routine maintenance required to make it ready to depart at
the drop of a helmet. If I needed to make a trip it would be up to
it. New tires, a new drive belt and regular oil changes every
thousand miles have it running strong.

The first Chinese scooter, Lazarus the
150cc Vespa lookalike, now has 8,975 miles. I bought it in 2008
making it seven years old. If the big scooter suddenly came down with
a mechanical malady Lazarus could slip into role of commuter and
Doctor tripper with no problem. It might take several minutes longer
as it's not as fast but it is still a “Go Anywhere, Do Anything”
machine. It has taught me about the strengths and weaknesses of a
Chinese scooter and the big scooter has benefited as a result.

Lastly, Rocket, my 50cc mini-motorcycle
has 4,154 miles on it. It's averaging nearly 700 miles a year in its
capacity as “Grocery-Getter and Errand Runner” sipping fuel on
every trip. This little bike has been the most eye-opening of my
fleet. While the other two have required the occasional repair,
Rocket has been like a faithful horse. It is always ready to go,
requires only the occasional bit of maintenance and goes pretty fast
for its size. On a level road I have seen 55 mph on the speedometer
and at that it gets 130 mpg. Every 65 miles I have to put a half
gallon of gas in its small tank and see less than two dollars
registering on the gas pump.

I can only hope that the trend
continues and we enjoy ongoing success. We ride, we smile, we save
gas, we keep the cars parked.